Eklezyas 7
1 Yon bon non pi bon pase yon pomad swa, e jou mouri pi bon pase jou nou te ne a.
A good name is better than oil of great price, and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 Li pi bon pou ale nan kay k ap fè dèy pase nan kay k ap fè fèt; paske se konsa ke chak moun va fini, e sila ki vivan an pran sa a kè.
It is better to go to the house of weeping, than to go to the house of feasting; because that is the end of every man, and the living will take it to their hearts.
3 Tristès pi bon pase ri; paske lè figi moun nan tris, kè la vin pi bon.
Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.
4 Panse a saj la anndan lakay k ap fè dèy; men panse a san konprann nan kay plezi.
The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.
5 Li pi bon pou koute repwòch a yon nonm saj pase pou yon moun ta koute chanson a moun san konprann yo.
It is better to take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.
6 Paske tankou bwa pikan sèch pete nan dife; se konsa lè yon nonm ensanse ap ri; epi sa anplis se vanite.
Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.
7 Paske chantay ka fè yon nonm saj vin fou, e lajan anba tab fè kè vin konwonpi.
The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.
8 Lè yon bagay fin fèt, li pi bon pase lè l te kòmanse a. Pasyans nan lespri pi bon pase awogans lespri a.
The end of a thing is better than its start, and a gentle spirit is better than pride.
9 Pa chofè kè ou pou vin fache; paske fache rete nan kè a moun ensanse.
Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.
10 Pa di: “Poukisa jou lontan yo te pi bon pase jodi a”? Paske nanpwen sajès nan kesyon sa a.
Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.
11 Sajès ansanm ak eritaj bon, e se yon avantaj pou sila ki konn wè solèy yo.
Wisdom together with a heritage is good, and a profit to those who see the sun.
12 Paske sajès se yon pwotèj, menm ke lajan se yon pwotèj la; men avantaj a bon konprann nan se ke sajès va prezève lavi a sila ki genyen l.
Wisdom keeps a man from danger even as money does; but the value of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to its owner.
13 Konsidere zèv Bondye yo, paske se kilès ki ka drese sa ke Li menm te koube?
Give thought to the work of God. Who will make straight what he has made bent?
14 Nan jou bonè yo fè kè kontan; men nan jou malè yo, reflechi—Bondye te fè tou de pou lòm pa dekouvri anyen nan sa k ap swiv li.
In the day of wealth have joy, but in the day of evil take thought: God has put the one against the other, so that man may not be certain what will be after him.
15 Mwen te wè tout bagay pandan tout jou vanite mwen yo; gen yon nonm dwat ki mouri nan ladwati, ak yon nonm mechan ki fè vi li long ak mechanste li a.
These two have I seen in my life which is to no purpose: a good man coming to his end in his righteousness, and an evil man whose days are long in his evil-doing.
16 Pa fè eksè nan ladwati, ni pa vin twò saj. Poukisa ou ta detwi pwòp tèt ou?
Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?
17 Pa fè eksè nan mechanste, ni pa vin ensanse. Poukisa ou ta vle mouri avan lè ou?
Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?
18 Li bon pou ou ta kenbe pran yon bagay san ou pa lage lòt la; paske sila ki gen lakrent Bondye a ap vini ak tou de.
It is good to take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.
19 Sajès ranfòse yon nonm saj plis pase dis gwo chèf ki nan yon vil.
Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.
20 Anverite, nanpwen yon moun dwat sou latè ki fè sa ki bon tout tan, e ki pa janm peche.
There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.
21 Anplis, pa pran a kè tout pawòl ki pale, sof ke ou ta tande sèvitè ou lè l ap bay ou madichon.
Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.
22 Paske ou vin konprann ke ou menm tou anpil fwa konn bay moun madichon.
Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.
23 Mwen te tante fè tout sa ak sajès e mwen te di: “Mwen va saj”, men sa te chape lwen mwen.
All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.
24 Sa ki te konn egziste vin lwen, e se yon mistè menm. Se kilès ki ka dekouvri li?
Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?
25 Mwen te dirije panse m pou konnen; pou fè ankèt e chache sajès avèk rezon, e pou konnen mechanste se foli; e foli menm rive fè moun fou.
I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.
26 Epi mwen te dekouvri pi anmè pase mouri, kè a fanm ki fè pèlen an. Men li yo se tankou chenn. Yon moun ki plè Bondye va chape anba men l, men pechè a va vin kaptire anba l.
And I saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.
27 “Gade byen, se sa mwen dekouvri,” predikatè a di: “Ajoute yon bagay a yon lòt pou twouve konprann.”
Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,
28 Sou sila m toujou ap chache a, men m poko jwenn; mwen te twouve yon nonm pami mil, men mwen pa t jwenn fanm pami tout sa yo.
For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.
29 Men gade, se sèl sa mwen dekouvri; Bondye te fè lòm kanpe dwat, men yo chache anpil manèv pou vin koube.
This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.
